Urology - Adult - Laparoscopic
Director: J Stuart Wolf Jr., M.D.
In our Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery Program, we perform surgeries through "keyhole" incisions or no incision at all.
To perform such procedures, we use an instrument called an endoscope -- a narrow telescope through which we insert miniature instruments. When the laparoscopic is operated inside a urinary lumen -- the inner lining of the urinary tract that carries urine -- the procedure is called endourology (literally, practicing urology from the inside). When a potential space in the body such as the abdomen, pelvis, or retroperitoneum is expanded with gas, and the endoscope is placed into the gas-filled space to look at the outer surface of organs, the procedure is called laparoscopy. Some common procedures are a combination of the two techniques.
Laparoscopy offers huge benefits to patients in terms of reducing pain and recovery time following major surgery. For example, following laparoscopic removal of a kidney, the need for pain medication, length of hospital stay, and recovery time are reduced by approximately 50% compared to open-surgical kidney removal.
The conditions that lend themselves most readily to this technique include:- extensive or complicated blockages of the ureter
- leakage of urine (incontinence)
- most cancerous and non-cancerous conditions of the kidney
- other pelvic cancers
- prostate cancer
- some bladder conditions where only part of the bladder needs to be removed.
Appointment Number: 734-936-7030
Clinic location:
A. Alfred Taubman Health Care Center
1500 East Medical Center Drive
Floor 2 Reception: E
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5330
Phone: 734-936-7030
Fax: 734-615-6280
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